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Masasa Beach Revisited

After an unusually rainy holiday season, we were raring for a visit to the beach. While local tourists usually flock to beaches here in the Philippines during the hot and dry months of April and May it might actually be better to do those trips during the months of January to February. Rainfall and typhoons in most parts of the country are down during that time but the weather is much cooler than in April to May.

An ubiquitous outrigger at Masasa Beach

Last week found us headed towards the town of Tingloy in Maricaban Island in Batangas. We’ve been here less than 3 months ago for a quick visit to Masasa Beach, the main tourist destination in the town and island. But after spending less than 24 hours on the island, we realized it was too short a time to appreciate everything Tingloy had to offer. We vowed to ourselves that we’d be back. The second week of 2019 found us fulfilling that vow.

Spending more time at Tingloy and Masasa Beach allowed us to appreciate more of its attractions such as the Lagoon and its huge rock formations

On our first visit we lodged at a homestay inland and had to walk almost a kilometer to get to Masasa Beach (the paved trail to the beach was too narrow for tricycles). This time we made sure to get an accommodation right at Masasa Beach and ended up at Tita Precy’s Kubo where we got to stay at a nice and clean hut. Its beachfront was a fun place to chillax with hammocks right under the cool shade of coconut palms. The northeast monsoon breeze made it even more pleasant.

Masasa Beach

Sunrise view from the beachfront of our accommodations at Tita Precy’s Kubo

Turquoise waters off Masasa Beach

We’ve already been impressed by the quality of Masasa Beach’s white sand and its crystal-clear waters, so no surprises there on our return trip. Our only regret was not being able to snorkel at an area about a hundred meters from shore during our island-hopping trip. Our hosts mentioned that sea turtles may be observed here.

Masasa is perfect for beach-bumming but one can also do some snorkeling several meters offshore

No drones used here: view of Masasa Beach from the top of a rock formation

Along Masasa Beach is a rock formation where a series of steps has been carved, allowing anyone to climb up for a neat overhead view of the beach. Leo went up for a quick look and photo shoot.

Climb up the rock formation on the right and you’ll have a nice overhead view of Masasa Beach

The Lagoon and Beyond

Masasa Beach, however, is just one of the many coves and beaches that make up the coastline of Tingloy town and Maricaban Island. At the western end of Masasa Beach and just a short distance from Tita Precy’s Kubo is the Lagoon – actually two adjacent small coves hemmed in by large rock formations.

The first of the two small coves that make up the Lagoon. At high tide this is almost completely filled with water making it a nice swimming pool. Even at low tide this place attracts plenty of swimmers.

The adjacent cove is littered with boulders and framed by a tall rock formation

We’ve only gone as far as the Lagoon during our first visit here. This time we kept walking along a paved path that led through some small communities (including more homestays) and a series of small coves and beaches. Along the way we encountered beautifully weathered rock formations that were simply too interesting not to capture with our lenses.

A wall of weathered rock along the paved trail from the Lagoon

More views of the same rock formation

As our scenic trek wound down we stopped at a small beach with a gorgeous outlying view of a pair of rock formations off shore silhouetted in the fading light. The coastline of this section of Tingloy faces almost west, giving us stunning sunset views. Very few visitors make it to this area, making it the place to go for moments of peace and solitude.

2 thoughts on “Masasa Beach Revisited”

From Anilao port (or Talaga port depending on the season) you can get a boat/ferry that goes directly to Pirasan port in Tingloy – the port that’s located close to Masasa Beach. Boats that do so, however, are rare and schedules are not fixed. You can also ride a boat that goes to Tingloy port (there are more boats that take this route) and from there ride a trike inland that goes to Pirasan port. If you have booked with Tita Precy Kubo, they can arrange a boat that will pick you up at Pirasan port like we did. (The walk from Pirasan port to Tita Precy Kubo is too long esp. if you’re carrying a heavy bag.)